The Electric Vehicle Thread

[Koolau]

Below is a photo of a 1-MW substation I found in a Web page by https://transformers-magazine.com/.

This can power 10 superchargers at 100 kW a piece, or 5 superchargers at 200 kW each.

Hmmm. Looks like much more infrastructure than for a whole "truck plaza" that serves 25 trucks and 25 cars.

I wonder, if, in a snow shut-down situation, EV drivers (well, the first 10) wouldn't just "camp" with their EV's plugged in and the heater on full. Just wondering 'cause YMMV.

 

[MRG]

60% drain in 24 hours -> 100% drain in 40 hours.

70 hours vs. 40 hours? Looks like the test conditions are not the same.

PS. OK, one is at temperatures in the 20F, while the 2nd one is as low as 7F.

I also had two seat heaters on too. In retrospect I'll use less cabin heat and rely more on the seat heaters should this be an actual emergency.

 

[Samsung4321]

I wonder, if, in a snow shut-down situation, EV drivers (well, the first 10) wouldn't just "camp" with their EV's plugged in and the heater on full. Just wondering 'cause YMMV.

Not likely in the 'polite society'.

 

[Koolau]

An indelicate question for Tesla owners (okay, ICE owners as well): Where is the bathroom? Stuck in traffic on I95 doesn't offer much privacy. Stuck that long, I would be upset and my wife would be hysterical without facilities. YMMV

 

[MRG]

60% drain in 24 hours -> 100% drain in 40 hours.

70 hours vs. 40 hours? Looks like the test conditions are not the same.

PS. OK, one is at temperatures in the 20F, while the 2nd one is as low as 7F.

I also had two seat heaters on too. In retrospect I'll use less cabin heat and rely more on the seat heaters should this be an actual emergency.

I'm thinking I used the app to engage climate and that probably keeps the battery conditioned for driving. I think I'll retry in the cold under camp as cbo111 did.

I suspect the battery was staying warm because of the lack of a cold icon like it had later in the night.

 

[jimbee]

An indelicate question for Tesla owners (okay, ICE owners as well): Where is the bathroom? Stuck in traffic on I95 doesn't offer much privacy. Stuck that long, I would be upset and my wife would be hysterical without facilities. YMMV

This can work once it is empty.

 

[Koolau]

This can work once it is empty.

Yeah, I've done that before - especially during solo flying. DW, not so much. AND, of course... there are other situations where it's totally inadequate but YMMV.

 

[NW-Bound]

Hmmm. Looks like much more infrastructure than for a whole "truck plaza" that serves 25 trucks and 25 cars...

I don't work in the power industry, so do not know the size of these substations.

That 1 MW substation looks awfully big and scary, so I looked for another example to see if that is right.

Here's another substation image I found on the Web, and this one has a caption saying 5 MW. This one will let you charge 50 EVs at 100 kW a piece.

There's no man standing by for a scale, so it's hard to tell how tall this monstrosity is. It looks like two identical units side by side. Each then has a capacity of 2.5 MW.

 

[Koolau]

I don't work in the power industry, so do not know the size of these substations.

That 1 MW substation looks awfully big and scary, so I looked for another example to see if that is right.

Here's another substation image I found on the Web, and this one has a caption saying 5 MW. This one will let you charge 50 EVs at 100 kW a piece.

There's no man standing by for a scale, so it's hard to tell how tall this monstrosity is.

I would imagine the fence in front is 4ft at least. The storage building in the left rear must go to 12 or 14 feet. That's a bunch of infrastructure for 50 EVs - and it doesn't even count the actual charging units, though they're comparable in size to a gas/diesel dispenser unit. But, at least you won't have a tanker truck pulling up every few days to refill tanks, so there's that. YMMV

 

[Fermion]

What is the giant elevated tank for? That can't be just for transformer oil can it?

 

[explanade]

At super chargers they're going to have to build mini marts with things like snacks and coffee or maybe fast food.

You want to charge at most 30-60 minutes. YOu're not charging to 100%, just to about 80%.

So enough time for a quick bite, not a longer sit down meal. And you can't really do that every 150-200 miles anyways.

 

[NW-Bound]

I would imagine the fence in front is 4ft at least. The storage building in the left rear must go to 12 or 14 feet. That's a bunch of infrastructure for 50 EVs - and it doesn't even count the actual charging units, though they're comparable in size to a gas/diesel dispenser unit. But, at least you won't have a tanker truck pulling up every few days to refill tanks, so there's that. YMMV

Nothing is that simple. The car owner only has to know how to plug the charging cable into his car socket. He does not care to know what it takes to generate the juice and all the equipment to bring the juice to that charging plug in his hand.


Well, ICE car owners do not know about all the steps it takes to get him that gasoline either.

What is the giant elevated tank for? That can't be just for transformer oil can it?

I wonder about that too. So many images of transformers show that.

So, I suspect that it is the expansion tank for the transformer oil, as the oil temperature may vary quite a bit depending on the load on the transformer.

 

[Koolau]

At super chargers they're going to have to build mini marts with things like snacks and coffee or maybe fast food.

You want to charge at most 30-60 minutes. YOu're not charging to 100%, just to about 80%.

So enough time for a quick bite, not a longer sit down meal. And you can't really do that every 150-200 miles anyways.

I may have mentioned that son's favorite fast charger station was in a shopping area with fast food, mini-marts, and a wide range of retail merchants. On Big Island, he could cross the whole island without charging, so a "full service" shopping area made a lot of sense. For mainland cross-country travel, a minimart and fast food would probably be good enough for most charging areas. I do wonder when motels will routinely add fast charging stations. I've seen one or two that had a 240v charger for guests. YMMV

 

[jimbee]

I don't work in the power industry, so do not know the size of these substations.

That 1 MW substation looks awfully big and scary, so I looked for another example to see if that is right.

Here's another substation image I found on the Web, and this one has a caption saying 5 MW. This one will let you charge 50 EVs at 100 kW a piece.

There's no man standing by for a scale, so it's hard to tell how tall this monstrosity is. It looks like two identical units side by side. Each then has a capacity of 2.5 MW.

The substation fence in the background is probably six feet high to the top bar. The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) requires substation fence to be seven feet high, or six feet high with three strands of barbed wire to achieve an overall height of seven feet.

 

[jimbee]

What is the giant elevated tank for? That can't be just for transformer oil can it?

That's a conservator tank, acting as a reservoir and expansion tank for the transformer oil. You can read about it here: https://www.electrical4u.com/conservator-tank-of-transformer/

 

[Samsung4321]

Electric cars are more expensive now, but it is possible to recoup the cost of an EV?

according to modelling by Evenergi, a zero emissions transport consultancy:

Yes — but you'd have to be a big driver, clocking up about twice the national average of 12,000 kilometres per year.

If that all works out, you'll be about $500 better off after five years with the EV, compared to the ICE vehicle.

But the biggest barrier for consumers, particularly in Australia, is cost.

No stampede.


Evenergi car operating cost calculator

5 year cost to own, Australia 2600; 12,000 km:

. EV - 2021 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Launch Edition 2WD ; $60,251 (100.42 c/km.)
. ICE - 2020 Hyundai Kona Go Auto 2WD ; $33,326 (55.54 c/km.)

 

[NW-Bound]

In 2021, I drove a total of 3030 miles, mainly to run errands and a couple of trips up to my 2nd home. This works out to an average of 8.3 miles/day and 2.5 kWh/day.

That kWh/day number is so low, I can easily generate that from PV panels. Free driving!

However, the higher price of the EV keeps the option from making economic sense.

A used Prius would be cheap fun to have, but it does not have the range to make the trip to my boondocks home.

I meant to say a used LEAF which is an EV, not a Prius which is a hybrid.

 

[JoeWras]

Speaking of infrastructure... encourage your grand children to consider a career as a lineman. And despite the name, women are eligible and actually encouraged with many opportunities for subsidized training.

We are going to need people to work on the grid! Otherwise, we got a crisis. This career choice is in a field that most definitely won't be shrinking.

And the next time you see them working on the lines, give a nod and thanks. I can't help but end with my favorite 10 second youtube on the internet. I don't know what it is, but I love arc flash videos. I'm weird.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Anyone here have a Kia Nero EV? They are now my top contender, but the Kia website sucks! It should have been easy to determine that the EX has no sun/moonroof at all, and that there is an app that allows you to control the charging, but I had to do a lot of searching, some of it on third-party websites. I'm going to test drive an EX and EX Premium, but any thoughts (even if you did research but haven't driven one) would be appreciated. I'm leaning towards the Premium just for the sunroof and ventilated seats, but the EX has all my must-have features.

 

[explanade]

Anyone here have a Kia Nero EV? They are now my top contender, but the Kia website sucks! It should have been easy to determine that the EX has no sun/moonroof at all, and that there is an app that allows you to control the charging, but I had to do a lot of searching, some of it on third-party websites. I'm going to test drive an EX and EX Premium, but any thoughts (even if you did research but haven't driven one) would be appreciated. I'm leaning towards the Premium just for the sunroof and ventilated seats, but the EX has all my must-have features.

It's good first generation but it's said to be on the small side for a CUV.

Like everything else, it's in short supply so dealers may mark up.

They're about to launch the EV6, which is a second generation EV CUV.

But if you can get a great deal for the Niro EV it might be worth it. Maybe look into a lease where you don't put any money down except first month, taxes and title fees.

Then you can upgrade in 3 year's time.

 

[braumeister]

That 1 MW substation looks awfully big and scary

One of the most interesting things I learned in recent years came from a friend who has a job designing substations. Much to my surprise, they are not at all standardized. Each one has to be custom designed for a variety of reasons.

 

[JoeWras]

One of the most interesting things I learned in recent years came from a friend who has a job designing substations. Much to my surprise, they are not at all standardized. Each one has to be custom designed for a variety of reasons.

And I recently learned that because of the unique characteristics of the substations on the grid, any solar farms built in the area have to work within the design of such. This may actually limit the size and type of farm that can be connected.

 

[travelover]

...... This may actually limit the size and type of farm that can be connected.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call them solar ranches? Or maybe solar plantations, down South?

 

[NW-Bound]

Solar farms are good. I would love to have enough land for one.

What I have in my backyard is just a solar pergola with 20 panels. I next added 8 panels on the roof of the house last spring.

Will be installing another group of 6 panels on the roof in a couple of months.

 

[Koolau]

Solar farms are good. I would love to have enough land for one.

What I have in my backyard is just a solar pergola with 20 panels. I next added 8 panels on the roof of the house last spring.

Will be installing another group of 6 panels on the roof in a couple of months.

I guess we should call that a solar "hobby" farm.

Seriously, I've mentioned the issues locally in which the electric utility limits the number of private solar connections within a given area. They simply can't integrate the input due to all the reasons we've discussed many times before. I was wondering if you have to let your utility know what you are doing each time you add panels.